The invention relates to improvements in receptacles for storage or display of notions, such as needles, pins and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in receptacles (also called blister packs) of the type disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,611 granted Nov. 26, 1991 to Hagmann et al.
The patent to Hagmann et al. discloses a receptacle wherein a rear panel or carrier has two sections which are connected to each other by a hinge and wherein one section of a light-transmitting front panel or cover is permanently connected to the front side of one section of the rear panel. The other sections of the two panels are separably connected to each other and can be pivoted away from one another in order to expose first portions of needles the second portions of which extend into discrete pockets between the permanently connected sections. The other sections can be pivoted back against each other to confine the first portions of the needles, i.e., those portions which project beyond the respective pockets, and the other section of the rear panel has a flap which can releasably retain the other section of the front panel in a position of substantial alignment with the one section of the front panel.
It is important and desirable to ensure that the needles which remain in their pockets be reliably confined between the other sections of the two panels when the flap overlies the other section of the front panel. Even a relatively narrow clearance between the other sections of the two panels will suffice to permit the escape of one or more slender needles or like commodities, even if the flap overlies the other section of the front panel. This can result in the loss of a substantial number of needles and creates the possibility of injury to children or adults, e.g., by stepping onto a needle which happened to escape between the other sections of the two panels. Thus, there exists an urgent need for receptacles which can be used for storage and display of needles or like notions and are constructed and assembled in such a way that a needle which extends into a pocket between the permanently connected sections of the two panels is not likely to escape, even if the receptacle is dropped or is subjected to other rough treatment.